Steering-compensator for rowboat-motors.



0. P. FISHER. STEERING COMPENSATOR PoR ROWBOAT MOTORS. APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 10, 1913.

'OAKLEYAIH FISHER, 0F MILWAUKEE, 'iWISC'O-NSIN STEERING-COMPENSATO'R VFOR ROWBOATMOTORS.

Specicat'ion of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

Application led November 10, 1913. Serial No. 800,111.

T0 all whom it may concern 4 Be it known that I, AKLEY F. FISHER, a -citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of lVisconsin, have invented new :and useful Improvements in Steering-Com-V pensators for Rowboat-Motors, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a rowboat motor with resilient means for counteracting or compensatingfor the influence of the beveled gear driving connection tending to deiect the course of the boat where vsteering is performed by means of the change in direction of the propeller.

With rowboat motors having an approximately vertical driving shaft with an engine at its upper end and a propeller at its rlower end driven through intermeshing beveled gears the resistance to the turning of the propeller causes the driving connection to exert a torsional pressure upon'the casing surrounding the driving connection and when this casing is so mounted as to be capable of turning for the'purpose of steering by changing the position of the propeller such torsional pressure tends to change the direction of the propeller and cause the boat to turn. With, this class of motor propeller it is necessary, in order to maintain a straight course, that such tendency be forcibly resisted by pressure on the tiller. As rowboat motors are usually run at full speed it requires a constant effort on the part of the operator to overcome this defiecting tendency and keep the boat in a straight course. With the present invention an adjustablecounteracting spring is interposed betweenthe stationary support `and the tiller to neutralize the deiiecting tendency of the driving connection and thus relieve the operator of the necessity for the use of con'- stant effort in maintaining a straight course at high speed.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the steering compensator for rowboat motors as herein claimed and all equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawing.

in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in different views: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rowboat motor equipped with a steeringl compensator con- Fig'. l is a detail view showing the ratchetV engagement of the spring tightening ring;

lFig. 5 is a transverse sectlonal View on the plane of .line 5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a sunllar view on the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction'of the ar-V rows; and, Fig. 7 is a similar view on the plane of line 7-7 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In these drawings 10 indicates the motor proper, usually in the form of 'a gasengine withits driving shaft 11 held in a vertical position and contained within a ,telescopic tubular casing 12 carrying at its lower end a propeller 13 which is geared by beveledV gearing with the driving shaft 11. A clamp 14 1s pivotally mounted on the engine casmg and is adapted toengage the stern ef-a rowboat, the pivotal connection thereof permitting the driving shaft to remain vertical whatever the angular position of the stern of the. boat may be. At its lower end the clamping bracket 14 carries a pair 4of arc shaped adjusting arms 15 which pass through slots in a Tshaped head 16 loosely mounted on the telescopic tubular casing 12, and thumb screws 17 therein serve to clamp said arms and lock the parts in their angular adjustment. A tiller 18 projects from a sleeve 19 which fits around the upper part of the telescopic tubular casing 12 and serves to steer the boat by turning said tubular casing 12 and the propeller at its lower end, the sleeve 19 being securely clamped 'to the tubular casing 12 by having its lower end split and a clamping nut 20 connecting ears on opposite sides of the slot to draw the sleeve tightly around the casin 12. TheV mechanism as thus far described 1s the usual mechanism and the compensator of this invention is illustrated as an attachment therefor, though it may be made as a art thereof.

A ratchet ring 21 is provide to fit over the Vtubular casing 12 and rest upon the head 16 thereof and is kept from. turning by having a downwardly extending projection 22 fitting between the shoulders of the T-shaped head 16. This ratchetring 21 has one or more upwardly rojecting ratchet teeth 23 to engage within corresponding openings 24 in a spring tightening ring 25 which also surrounds the tubular casing 12 seA and rests upon the ratchet ring 21. A spring sleeve 26 also ts upon the tubular casing 12 and is provided with an upstanding arm 27 to be engaged by the clamping bolt 20 and thus lock the spring sleeve with the tiller sleeve 19. The spring sleeve forms a housing for containing a coil spring 28, the upper end of the spring being connected with the spring sleeve by passing through an opening therein and the lower end being connected with a hook-shaped lug 29 projecting from the spring tightening ring 25. The direction of the inclined portion of the ratchet teeth 23 of ratchet ring 21 is such that the spring 28 may be tightened by turning the spring tightening ring 25 and when this adjustment is satisfactory the ratchet teeth 28 prevent the spring from uncoiling except by turning the tiller sleeve. For convenience in turning the spring tightening sleeve 25, it may be provided with wrench openings 30 to receive a wire nail or other implement for turning it. The direction of turning action of the spring against the tiller sleeve is opposite to the direction of turning tendency produced by the beveled gear driving connection while running at full speed and the adjustment of the spring enables the spring action to be varied to exactly coun- '.eract the defiecting tendency of the beveled gear driving connection and thus relieve the operator from the necessity for exerting a constant pressure on the tiller in order to keep the propeller straight.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Adeiection compensator for rowboat motors of the type wherein the propeller is shifted for steering, comprising a spring having a stationary connection at one end and having its other end connected with the tiller.

2. In a rowboat motor of the type wherein the propeller is shifted by means of a tiller for steering and wherein the propeller is driven through beveled gear driving connections, a compensator for counteracting the deflection of the propeller due to the beveled gear driving connection, comprising an adjustable spring having one end provided with a stationary connection and the other end connected with the tiller.

3. In a'rowboat motor having a vertical driving shaft and a tubular casing surrounding the driving shaft with a propeller carried by the tubular casing and geared through beveled gearing with the driving shaft, a tiller for turning the tubular casing for steering, a stationary adjustable clamping bracket, a compensator for the deflection of the propeller caused by the beveled gearing, comprising a toothed ratchet ring surrounding the tubular casing and engaging the clamping bracket so as to be held from turning thereby, a spring tightening ring also surrounding the tubular casing and having openings for engaging the ratchet teeth of the ratchet ring, a coiled spring surrounding the tubular casing and vengaging the spring tightening ring, and a spring sleeve surrounding the tubular casing and secured thereto and having connection with the other end of the coil spring.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

OAKLEYr F. FISHER.

Witnesses:

' C. H. KEENEY,

EMILY ScHowAL'rER. 

